LYNSEY BEWS

A “leadership gap” is appearing in Scotland’s police force, according to former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.

He called for politicians to show greater support for the service, which has been beset by financial pressures and a series of scandals in recent years.

Mr MacAskill, who served as justice secretary from 2007 to 2014, made the comments as it was revealed chief constable Phil Gormley is being investigated by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) over misconduct allegations.

He replaced Sir Stephen House, who resigned following a series of controversies, including armed policing and the M9 crash tragedy when a couple died after police failed to respond to reports of a car going off the motorway.